It was my third vacation in Barcelona, and it was also my third time staying in L'Eixample as the neighborhood is close enough to La Ramblas to get a full helping of Catalan tourism and far enough away from all the frenetic activity that makes it exhausting to plow through. Jamie W. and I had previously stayed at the aptly named Europark on Carrer d'Aragó, as it was sleek, trendy, and a bit edgy. Eight years on with a little more graying around the temples and we were looking for something still modern but also comfortable, convenient, and reasonably priced. Lo and behold, we found all those dimensions addressed with Constanza on Carrer del Bruc, about four blocks away from Plaça de Catalunya. Over the course of a little more than a week, we had two separate stays there, the first for two nights at $179 per night, and after a brief detour into the Basque country, we came back for three nights for $171 per night. We stayed in the same Superior Double room location both times but on different floors (photo: http://bit.ly/2ynNpvP), so we had the same view from different elevations of the residential apartments across the way much like Jimmy Stewart had in "Rear Window" (photo: http://bit.ly/2nZFaWD). The contemporary room opened onto a small sitting area which led to a spacious bedroom that in itself opened onto a large terrace. The furniture is strictly West Elm-style contemporary down to the boxy cushions on the sofa, but it all worked nicely (photo: http://bit.ly/2ATrejO). The location also worked really well for us as it was just a quick stroll to Plaça d'Urquinaona where we saw the Catalan and anti-Catalan protestors in full flag-waving fervor (photo: http://bit.ly/2BgIzGj), and it wasn't that much further to stroll down La Ramblas. We were also close enough to the requisite Gaudi-designed attractions like Casa Milà, Sagrada Familia, and even Park Güell. The front desk service was top-notch, and they even helped us secure reservations at a couple of restaurants where the English translation of their websites confounded us. We got comfortable seeking out café con leches at nearby cafes and even my beloved Lime Calippo at the neighborhood market. I would definitely recommend Constanza to any serious lover of Barcelona as it is in the true heart of the city. read more